In a village, there lived a lazy man. He did no work, only sat and thought about various things.
One day, while walking, he reached a mango grove. Ripe mangoes were hanging from the trees. Seeing such juicy mangoes, he felt like eating them and climbed a tree.
As he climbed the tree, he suddenly saw a fox walking with great difficulty. One of the fox’s legs was broken, yet the man was surprised to see it surviving in the jungle.
He thought, “In such a place where one can become prey at any moment, how is this crippled fox staying alive?”
While he was thinking this, suddenly a lion roared, shaking the jungle. All the animals fled, but the fox remained where it was.
The lion slowly came toward it. The lazy man thought, “Now this is surely the end of the fox.”
But the lion stopped in front of the fox. It placed a piece of meat from its mouth in front of the fox, then left. The fox sat comfortably and started eating.
Seeing this scene, the man thought, “The Creator provides food even to animals, so surely He will provide for me too.”
With this thought, he went home and lay down, hoping someone would bring him food. But no one came even after several days.
Eventually, weakened by hunger, he went outside. On the way, he saw a sage under a tree. After hearing the whole story, the man asked the sage, “The Creator gives to animals, why not to me?”
The sage laughed and said, “The Creator has made arrangements for you too, but He wants you to be like the lion, not the fox. You should lead, help others, and not be lazy—do something yourself.”
Moral:
The Creator gives everyone opportunities, but to receive them, one must also make an effort. Not laziness, but work is the true path of life.